Understanding Clotting Tests and Anticoagulant Therapy

 “Have you not done tormenting me with your accursed time?“ Senior scientists Vladimir and Estragon are waiting quite a while for a clot to form in their tube. How should you react to prolonged clotting times? We cover an approach to prolonged PT and aPTT, as well as discuss the mechanism of common anticoagulants and their impact on these basic tests.  

Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
01:22 - Episode 2 Recap 
03:13 - Why clotting times prolong 
05:38 - Short clotting times 
07:00 - Platelets and clotting times
08:00 - Introduction to Anticoagulants
10:25 - Unfractionated Heparin
17:04 - Low Molecular Weight Heparins
20:20 - Fondaparinux
21:37 - Vitamin K "Inhibitors"
27:55 - Direct Oral Anticoagulants
33:04 - Anticoagulants Recap
34:10 - An approach to long clotting times
35:58 - Cases
45:45 - Takehomes

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